Starter Spotlight: Keep Pressing On Peterson

7-6-24 – By Michael Castrignano – @412DoublePlay on X

After a franchise-best 7 home runs last night in the 14-2 rout, the Pirates finally fronted an offensive explosion and will look to repeat that feat today against southpaw David Peterson.

A torn labrum in his left hip required surgery, delaying Peterson’s start to the 2024 season but what he has been able to provide has largely been positive for the Mets resulting in a 3-0 record and 3.51 ERA over his 6 starts to date.

The Mets have won his last 5 starts dating back to June 4th. Consistency has been big for Peterson as he has held opponents to 2 or less earned runs in 5 of his 6 starts but also allowed 2 or more earned runs in 5 of 6 starts as well.

Peterson doesn’t have elite “stuff” but generally relies on his low-90s 4-seam elevated but keeps the rest down in the zone with a low-90s sinker, mid-80s slider, mid-80s changeup and high-70s curve.

His changeup has produced the best results for Peterson with an oBA of .120 and oSLG of .240 – both of which are tops among his offerings. His other options haven’t fared as well with his slider getting especially hit hard at a .344 clip and slugged at a .594 rate.

As far as other splits go, this year, he has pitched better on the road than at home, posting a 2.84 ERA over 19 innings as a visitor compared to 14.1 frames with a 4.40 ERA at home. However, this comes in contrast to his career numbers, which have a 3.62 home/5.19 away splits.

His xERA (5.82) is significantly higher than his actual ERA (3.51) to the extent that the gap between the two is among the highest in MLB. Eventually, those numbers regress at least closer to the mean.

Hitting can be contagious and Bucs bats need to build off yesterday’s success. Hitters need to target the fastballs and slider while spitting on the changeup.

Let’s Go Bucs!